AFP briefs EU delegates on insurgency problem, extra-judicial killings

By Ronron
February 20, 2007

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) briefed on Tuesday the diplomats of the European Union (EU) regarding the insurgency problem and extra-judicial killings in the country.

This, after the EU responded to the Philippine government’s invitation to investigate the spate of extra-judicial killings in the country, which various groups, both local and international, describe to be already very alarming.

“They (EU delegates) were invited because, as you know, everyone wants a briefing on the results of the Melo Commission… So, we thought that maybe … we should give them an overview of the overall insurgency situation in the Philippines so that they’ll get this extra-judicial killings on the context of the whole,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo before the start of the closed-door meeting of the AFP top brass and the EU delegates at 3pm.

Ermita disclosed that the group was already briefed last week by the Melo Commission on the result of its investigation, and a copy of its report was going to be given to the group yesterday.

Ermita joined the briefing, as well as Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr., and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary on Special Concerns Rafael Seguis.

Leading the EU delegation was Papal Nuncio Fernando Filoni. Present were the envoys of the Vatican, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Australia, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, the European Commission, Romania, and Canada.

The briefing was held at the AFP General Headquarters building Conference Room inside Camp Aguinaldo, and ended at 5:40 pm.

In a statement, AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said there is a need to brief the EU delegates because the “the (AFP) has been the object of unfounded allegations raised by Karapatan of being the perpetrators behind the series of unexplained killings.”

He said yesterday’s briefing only shows the AFP’s commitment to “collaborate and cooperate with the ongoing inquiries, particularly on allegations that the Armed Forces is behind the series of unexplained killings.”

Ermita, who is a retired AFP general, said the EU has to be briefed on the insurgency problem in the Philippines so that any unexplained killing will not only be considered as an ordinary murder case, but possibly as part of the insurgency movement.

Maintaining innocence, Bacarro reiterated that the AFP does not condone such acts and has in fact taken actions to investigate internally said allegations.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation and we will spare no one, regardless of rank and position,” Bacarro quoted Esperon as saying.

The EU has yet to issue a statement after getting the AFP briefing./DMS